Entertainment Commission approves Portola Music Festival permit at Pier 80 with sound conditions

The San Francisco Entertainment Commission voted to approve Goldenvoice’s one-time permit for the Portola Music Festival at Pier 80, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 20, and Sunday, Sept. 21. Commissioners approved the permit with staff recommendations after a presentation by Goldenvoice and public comment.

The festival organizer told the commission it expects about 80,000 total attendees across the two days and will run music from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. to 10:55 p.m. Sunday, with the Warehouse indoor stage operating until 10:55 p.m. Goldenvoice said it will use five stationary sound-monitoring terminals (three in San Francisco, two in Alameda), a roaming decibel monitor, a hotline and call center for real-time complaints, and sound-mitigation strategies developed with its sound designer.

"From day 1, our goal has been to just, bring something, to the city that brings people together," festival director Tim (Sim) Lay said during the presentation.

Staff recapped last year’s complaint data: combined city and Goldenvoice intake totaled 224 complaints, 200 of them on Sunday, with 144 complaints from San Francisco residents and 80 from Alameda and the East Bay. Staff cited a 61% reduction in Alameda/East Bay complaints from 2023 to 2024 and described ongoing collaboration between Goldenvoice, the commission and the Port of San Francisco to reduce impacts.

A member of the public, Bill Holtzman of Corona Heights, urged denial and criticized the arrangement that routes some reports to Goldenvoice’s hotline rather than to 311. "It's like hiring the fox to protect the chicken coop," he said during remote public comment.

Commissioners stressed the commission’s role both in regulation and in promoting entertainment, noted the reduction in complaints and the applicant’s stated mitigation measures, and asked detailed questions about complaint response times and stage-level monitoring. Goldenvoice representatives said they typically begin mitigation efforts within a minute of a complaint reaching their call center and that some technical fixes can take 10–15 minutes depending on the issue.

During discussion commissioners expressed support for the permit with the proposed conditions, including inspectors’ involvement in setting site-specific sound limits, continued use of roaming and stationary monitors, and a public hotline. A motion to approve with staff recommendations passed unanimously. The commission recorded aye votes from President Bridal, Vice President Wong, Commissioner Davis, Commissioner Perez, Commissioner Poggio, Commissioner Schlander and Commissioner Thomas.

The Port of San Francisco’s conditional approval and the port commission’s final sign-off and issuance of the special event license remain part of the permitting chain; staff noted the port had shared concerns from its southern advisory committee about Sunday end times but did not provide a formal recommendation on the permit.

The commission’s approval includes the staff-recommended conditions in the permit memo, ongoing coordination with the Port and SFPD, and required community outreach and hotline procedures. Goldenvoice representatives said they will continue to refine their sound plan and to work with inspectors during sound checks to determine final sound limits and mitigation strategies.

Votes at the meeting recorded unanimous approval of the Portola permit.